Canberra road riding for a visitor..

[Albert 50]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

 

[matagi]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Can't help with a long climb, but for a scenic ride, you can't beat riding around Lake Burley Griffin.

If you stop in at the Canberra Visitor's Information Centre, and pick up a bike map ($6) that should give you some interesting routes to try.

Finally, you could try getting touch with the folk at Pedal Power ACT
http://www.pedalpower.org.au

 

[mikesbytes]

Theres a regular Canberra poster (peterrjleach) over on the following forum who does the hills around Canberra.

http://bicycles.net.au/forums/index.php

 

[Jono L]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

All I know is that the roads around the Uriarra settlement are awesome! Try and get out the Corrin Forest climb.

 

[anthonyg]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Lots of nice riding around Canberra. Kingston is inner south and very central. Its also at one end of lake Burly Griffin which you can do a circiut around. The central basin of the lake is very touristy but the western end of the lake has some hills which makes it a more challenging ride and so there are fewer riders which can be nice.

You will need a map as Canberra is a big city but there are lots of on road cycle lanes going a LONG way. From Kingston you could ride down to the Cotter and loop around past the deep space tracking stations to Tharwa. This is the ride that some are refering to and where the Canberra Tour goes. BIG hills! From Tharwa you could come back to Kingston via the suburbs which would be a nice ride. It would be about a 75 km loop with hills.

There are 3 hill tops over looking the city. Black Mtn which has the tower. This is close to the lake Burly Griffin cycle path so if you headed around it you could basicly find your way from the path. Local cyclists do take it on but beware of a narrow winding road with a lot of traffic. You could also climb Mt Ainslie and Red Hill.

With a map you could do a loop of the 3 lakes in Canberra, Burly Griffen, Belconnen and Tuggeranong and you could do this mostly on cycle paths or the roads if you preffered. This would be about 70 km but with easier terain than the Cotter loop.

Wheather wise your in luck. The forcast for next week is for very pleasant weather for Canberra at this time of year. 6-18º and sunny. Mid afternoon its very pleasant but mornings are still cold and as soon as the sun heads in it cools down quickly. I would reccomend that you have arm and leg warmers plus a warm undershirt at the least for early morning rides. A widbreaker vest maybe. If you feel the cold then bring all your warm gear. Mid afternoon will be reasonably warm though so you wan't to be able to take it off.

Regards, Anthony

 

[anthonyg]

Next weeks weather forecast for Canberra has taken a change for the worse. Tuesday and Wednesday will be nice but Thursday and on is taking a turn for the worse. You may be still able to cycle but you will need FULL on warm cycling gear or you will freeze. Lazy winds off the snowy mountains aren't the most pleasant.

Regards, Anthony

 

[Albert 50]

Next weeks weather forecast for Canberra has taken a change for the worse. Tuesday and Wednesday will be nice but Thursday and on is taking a turn for the worse. You may be still able to cycle but you will need FULL on warm cycling gear or you will freeze. Lazy winds off the snowy mountains aren't the most pleasant.

Regards, Anthony

It really doesn’t get cold here, although when others wear longens I'm still in shirt & shorts. Will have to reassess this though & take the arm & leg warmers.[We are talking about different planets ] Zippered jacket probably in order.I have felt those snowy winds before, not very pleasant.
As always you can get chilled to the bone easilly on down hills. I will have some luxury & be able to ride in the middle of the day. Certainly might be an experiance
Thanks Ant

 

[jcjordan]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

I can suggest a number of really cool routes for you.

The Cotter/Urriara loop is a common one that alot of us do for training (about 40km round trip). If you want a longer ride I suggest that you ride through Cotter out through Tinbinbilla through Point Hut into Tharwa. Then out to Fitz’s Hill and Honeysuckle Creek. Both Fitz’s and Honeysuckle are popular climbs that will give you a great workout.

If you look on the pedalpower website (www.pedalpower.org) and look up the Fitz’s challenge in November. This will give you map of the route and a profile. This will give you a good ideas for a ride.


If you need any other info drop me a PM with a number to give you a call and I can show you some routes if you like

 

[thomas_cho]

..next week. Arriving probably Tuesday night & leaving Saturday. Staying in Kingston. I'm not looking for a group ride because I do not want to be tied to any schedule.
Around a 100 k-er give or take a few & including some long steady climbing [did I say that]. On the other days short rides of interest. I have heard about a steep hill to a tower? Is this right?
Any suggestions welcome.

Thanks

Steep hill to a tower ... could that be telstra towers?

I have just moved to Canberra myself, and am wondering if there is a database of training routes which includes some climbs?

I live in the Belconnen area, and if someone could suggest some routes around there that would be great.

Sorry to hijack the post ...

 

[Albert 50]

Steep hill to a tower ... could that be telstra towers?................
..............Sorry to hijack the post ...

No worries.......I think that may be the tower in question

 

[anthonyg]

Steep hill to a tower ... could that be telstra towers?

I have just moved to Canberra myself, and am wondering if there is a database of training routes which includes some climbs?

I live in the Belconnen area, and if someone could suggest some routes around there that would be great.

Sorry to hijack the post ...

Plenty of climbing in Belconnen. Kingford Smith drive from Ginnenderra Drive up to Spence is a doozy. Copland Drive and Tillyard Drive on either side are decent climbs as well. Do laps as manys times as you wan't. You could head around William Hovel Drive and down and up Coppins Crossing Road. That's another doozy of a descent/climb.

Regards, Anthony

 

[anthonyg]

The six day weather forcast on my computer is now saying that the weather will be OK for next week in Canberra but this is Canberra so bring some warm riding gear.

There have been quite a few suggestions to head around the Cotter/Urriara area and I don't want to be a stick in the mud but it is quite challenging terain with NO ammeneties out there. NO service stations, no shops and no way to get a taxi back if you've had a mechanical. I don't want to totaly put you off but how confident are you in your abilities. Personaly I would only do it these day's in a group.

It would be feesable to do a lap right around Canberra from Kingston. It would be about a 85 km trip without too many turns so I could give you directions if your interested. No category climbs on the way but reasonable climbing to do none the less. Canberra is a series of valleys so your alway going into or out of one of them.

Regards, Anthony

 

[Albert 50]

anthonyg..... good advice, if I do decide to venture into the unknown, I usually take a backpack with spare fold up, chain bits & tools etc. I gather mobiles may not work in some of these areas either, & that may well be the deciding factor as to how far from civilisation I am willing to go.

My area has little climbing unfortunately, although I often go the hilliest way possible, sustained climbing is hard to find.

From my signature you may realise I have a triple set up, which comes in handy for my 50 yo legs, & I am in reasonable shape being a regular rider now for 4 years. I think the cold may be my biggest problem

Thanks again to all.

 

[anthonyg]

anthonyg..... good advice, if I do decide to venture into the unknown, I usually take a backpack with spare fold up, chain bits & tools etc. I gather mobiles may not work in some of these areas either, & that may well be the deciding factor as to how far from civilisation I am willing to go.

My area has little climbing unfortunately, although I often go the hilliest way possible, sustained climbing is hard to find.

From my signature you may realise I have a triple set up, which comes in handy for my 50 yo legs, & I am in reasonable shape being a regular rider now for 4 years. I think the cold may be my biggest problem

Thanks again to all.

Yeah I'm not sure if there is total mobile coverage out at the cotter. Your around Gosford aren't you? Some of my friends used to live there and from memory getting from the Highway to Gosford involves going down a big hill. There's plenty of hills that you can ride up within Canberra if you wan't since Canberra is a series of valleys your alway's climbing or descending anyway. You could always head out to the cotter itself, climb out the other side of it then turn around and come back. That will be challenging enough.

Regards, Anthony

 

[jcjordan]

Yeah I'm not sure if there is total mobile coverage out at the cotter. Your around Gosford aren't you? Some of my friends used to live there and from memory getting from the Highway to Gosford involves going down a big hill. There's plenty of hills that you can ride up within Canberra if you wan't since Canberra is a series of valleys your alway's climbing or descending anyway. You could always head out to the cotter itself, climb out the other side of it then turn around and come back. That will be challenging enough.

Regards, Anthony

I have always found mobile coverage around the cotter/urriara loop to be fine. there is a toliet block with phone at the cotter campground and some farmhouses up along the route if you get into trouble

 

[Albert 50]

There is a Central Coast Century Tour in May which I have done the last 3. In that ride you do go from Kariong [top of the Gosford hill you referred to] to the Hawkesbury River via the Old Pacific Hwy & that includes a few reasonable hills. The first 2 Tours were on a 15 kg Hybrid bike so that was good training, now I ride a flat bar road job about 2/3 the weight.

 

[Albert 50]

I have always found mobile coverage around the cotter/urriara loop to be fine. there is a toliet block with phone at the cotter campground and some farmhouses up along the route if you get into trouble

That's reasuring, as long as the Cook will come & get me should the need arise

 

[thomas_cho]

BTW if you have not already done so, you should check out pedalpower.org.au

That site has a nice description of many rides around Canberra.

Ride safely!

 

[anthonyg]

The weather forcast for the next few day's has changed for the better so your most likely in luck. 6º to 18-19º is realy nice in Canberra for this time of year. Mindyou this is Canberra so bring some warm gear anyway.

Regards, Anthony

 

[Albert 50]

Well I made it back, with the 3 days I had put to good use in the riding department.

Day 1. A visit to the T Info C & bought a $15 Cycle Canberra book which includes the surrounding region for off & on road rides. Wednesdays ride was 67 ks which included the 61 k trip to Cotter, over the traffic lights single lane bridge, then right turn for the 1st climb of several ks, Uriarra Village, Uriarra Crossing, 2nd climb to the KOM line, then easy riding back to Town.

Day 2. 41 ks including Black Mountain to the Telstra Tower. About 250 m from Clunies Ross Street I changed below 39/25 [30/19 for better chain line] for the first time in around 4 months. A fair bit steeper than out Cotter way, but only a couple of ks to the Tower.

Day 3. Fridays intention was to go via Cotter to the Tidbinbilla Deep Space Tracking Station then back to Kingston through Point Hut Crossing.I leave at 11am. The climb out of Cotter was similar to the Uriarra Crossing climb except today there was breeze in the direction I was travelling which made it hot & sweaty. I crossed another KOM line which let me know I was probably near the top for the moment at least.
40 ks after leaving I arrive at the tracking station, time for lunch & refill my bottles. I didn’t take maps with me but I’m calculating I’m, possibly about half way. I knew when I left the TS I wouldn’t be all that far from the Corin Dam turn off, with the ride to the dam put in the “do some other time” category.
OK 10 ks from Tidbinbilla I see the Corin turn off 25 ks so the sign says. WTF I say, I may never get back here again. I will at least start off toward the dam & can always turn back. So 6 ks in I’m again going below my 39/25, as much because I don’t know what lies ahead & will I need to keep something in reserve. On reaching another KOM line again maybe the worst is over? Fairly flat by comparison till you descend the last 5 or 6 ks to the dam. I’ve made it, so after a / & a snack & a quick look at the dam I head back knowing a 6k climb will be followed by easy going back to Paddys River Rd.
I thought I would get cold descending on the way back as it was 3pm & cool at the top, but I actually warmed up because the air temp was increasing as I got closer to Paddys River Rd. Last stop was at Point Hut Crossing. I didn’t know the way back to the City via the suburbs so I went back to Kingston via the Monaro Hwy. Roads were all very good with very few potholes & very little traffic except the MH. The worst surface I rode on was the the last 10ks back to Kingston along the MH.
As a matter of fact on Corin Rd I saw only 1 car, & 2 other cyclists, so you might say it is fairly isolated. Total for todays ride was 129 ks with 5h 1m ride time & 45m stop time. I did ask for some climbs & Canberra delivered. Thanks to all for the advice.